The Lord is Come!

The Lord is Come!

That phrase in the majestic hymn we sing every Christmas is so rich with truth. Some wince at the seeming incorrect grammatical composition of this phrase. But I want you to be encouraged that it is correct. It is the use of the unaccusative intransitive verb form of to be. To put it simply it means not only the Lord has come, He is here! It is a statement that not only he has come but he is present. It also implies that He is here and that He has been sent here. We know that our Lord Jesus is sent by the Father.

Though we sing this at Christmas, ‘Joy to the World’ is actually a hymn written to proclaim His second coming.  What a proclamation of His coming to be with us physically forever. We know that Jesus is present with us in the Spirit. But one day He is coming to be ever present with us. He will establish His reign on the earth and we will rule with Him in His Kingdom. When we sing ‘Joy to the World’, we celebrate Jesus coming to bring us Salvation, but also know we are singing of the Joy we will have when Jesus comes to be ever present with us. It is a song of hope for redemption of the World! Take time to spread the Joy of Jesus this Christmas.  I pray that you will be filled with Joy during this Christmas celebration.  Know that you are loved and valued greatly!

Gratitude can change your life.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;  Philippians 4:6

“Your attitude is the aroma of your heart” Coach Grant Taylor from the movie Facing the Giants spoke to the Eagles football team in regards to their defeated attitude. Negativity and complaining come from an ungrateful attitude. When we focus on our bad circumstances it results in griping and complaining. We have all found ourselves there. It is a constant battle for our minds. Like Peter stepping out on the Sea of Galilee to walk on the water toward Jesus. As long as he kept his eyes on Jesus, he had firm footing. But when he took his eyes off Jesus and looked at the storm, Peter sank. Giving thanks puts our eyes on the Lord. Gratitude opens our hearts and lives to receive from God an overcoming attitude. Gratefulness can transform our circumstances from problems to possibilities. Transformation begins with renewing our minds in the Word of God (Romans 12:1-2) and choosing to give thanks to God in the midst of our circumstances. What is your problem? Give thanks to God for He promises to be with you in it. We can complain about many things in life but that takes us down a destructive path. But when we give thanks, life flows into us and through us. Choose an attitude transformation, give thanks.

Made Alive Together

Made Alive Together!

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:4-7 (NKJV)   God….made us alive….together, raised us up….together, made us sit….together…in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

When I was a young teen I remember a dear old deacon known as Pancho Roberts. He was jovial and somewhat rotund, and would always see him in a vest, one for every occaision. The thing that I remember him most for was what he said.  Sometime at every fellowship, meeting, event or gathering, you could hear Pancho raise his voice and say, “Togetherness! One more time!”.

As I consider the apostle Paul’s exhortation, isolation and exclusion are not what we are about.  God is inclusive! He made us alive together! We need to not shy away from being together with God’s people! Let us make the most of working together for His Kingdom.  As a Baptist Association, let us strive to reach the lost in Clarke County….Together!  When you celebrate The Resurrection of our Lord Jesus on Easter Sunday, why not bring someone with you to church that normally doesn’t go anywhere. Worship our Lord Jesus, together!

Pastors! Please plan to bring your spouse to the “Jewish Seder Supper” on Monday March 14 at 6pm at Tompkins Baptist. This will be an incredible experience of seeing how Jewish traditions and teaching points to our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let me remind you all that our Clarke County Baptist Association Executive Committee meeting is on March 22, at the Associational Office at 6pm. Please encourage your pastor and Associational Representative to attend.

“Togetherness! One More Time!”

  

The Journey: His Glory is My Reward

Please read Kimberly's Blog!
The Journey: His Glory is My Reward: August 4-17- Ground school –die well by living well . “If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and foll...

True Revival

It has been way too long since I posted on my blog.

We will begin revival services Sunday.

But my concern is that we will continue on as we have before.

No change, No enthusiasm, No difference in the people of God!

In my experience and understanding, Revival is when God's people get fed up with.....themselves!

God's Spirit comes and convicts of Sin, Righteousness, and Judgement.

I do not see God's people in repentance.  I only see God's people standing in judgement of other people.  THE PROBLEM IS NOT WHO IS IN WASHINGTON;  who the president is.....or our congressmen.....or who sits on the judiciary.

The Problem is not with our mainstream media!  Nor is it with Hollywood.

The Problem is with me.....AND.....you! It is us who have claimed the name of Christ.
We who profess to believe in the Almighty God, Jehovah.  We who have been "SAVED" and call ourselves Christians.

We are the problem.  Jesus said that the one who believes in Him will have rivers of living water flowing from him!  Uhh! There are very few that I could say depict that kind of lifestyle. He says through the apostle Paul that we are more than Conquerers in Christ Jesus.  Then, why did we cower and give in when they took the scriptures out of our schools....then prayer....then the manger scene at school Christmas plays?  Now, the ten commandments are being banned from governmental buildings and sandblasted from the federal institutions that once were founded upon these absolute principles.

We have sat back and given in and not said or done a thing.  We have been so conditioned by our culture that we no longer look like Jesus Christ.  We look more like the world.  

For example, how can we as Christians applaud high school plays in which the plots portray sexual promiscuity, allude to sexual innuendo and encourage lifestyles that are in total opposition to what Christ calls us to in the scriptures? Why is it even considered in the first place?   Why do we applaud business practices that are financially lucrative, but treat people with contempt?  Need I point out the blatant contradiction of lifestyle portrayed in the social media? On one hand, we praise God, but on the other hand, we curse people who make us angry. It grieves me and makes me tremble that no one seems to be even remotely aware that our morals and values have been squeezed into the cultural mold!

The words of Steve Camp come to mind in his song titled, "Squeeze" off of the album Fire and Ice.

SQUEEZE by Steve Camp

I see the Hollywood in your eyes

You hide behind the things that money buys

You love the power you love control

Oh you step on people because you want it all

Don’t you know the world will tease you

It will seize you

It will squeeze you, until you are into its mold

The world was a very good friend of mine

It promised everything I wanted in life

Oh it came to me with its passion and gold

I bought it for a while, it nearly cost me my soul

Don’t you know the world will tease you

It will seize you

It will squeeze you, and pour you into its mold

Don’t you know that the world will tease you

It will seize you

It will squeeze you, and pour you into its mold

Generation, in temptation don’t you realize your situation

But be of good cheer Jesus Christ is here

And He overcame all the world you fear

Once a week you go to church just to escape

You get your spiritual fix and you think you're safe

Oh, be transformed by renewing your mind 

You’ve got to live like Jesus on the firing line

Don’t you know the world will tease you

It will seize you

It will squeeze you, and pour you into its mold

The world will tease you

It will seize you

 Oh, Don’t let it squeeze you, until you are lifeless and cold, no, no.

Oh the world, don’t let it take you now it looks so nice to you now

But it will tease you, seize you,   until it squeezes you

Then you have lost your soul

You’ve got that Hollywood in your eyes

 It looks so nice to ya now

Repentance is so far from our minds, yet it is what Jesus preached!

 

What God is saying to me is, Matthew 4:17 (NKJV) ...... "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

First Baptist Church of Liberal is having Revival services
Sunday, September 23 at 10:45 am and 6:00 pm.
Monday, September 24 at 7:00pm
Tuesday, September 25 at 7:00pm
and Wednesday is the See You After the Pole rally at 7pm










If you seek true revival, please come.....I will.

 

Family

Family

Psalm 68:4-6 (NKJV)
⁴ Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Extol Him who rides on the clouds, By His name YAH, And rejoice before Him.
⁵ A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His holy habitation.
⁶ God sets the solitary in families; He brings out those who are bound into prosperity; But the rebellious dwell in a dry land.

Ephesians 3:14-15 (NKJV)
¹⁴ For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
¹⁵ from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

I am a blessed man!  I grew up in a family where love was expressed in tangible ways.  We had fun together.  One of the fondest memories would be at the supper table.  Back when it was common to have supper together most nights of the week, we would laugh and talk about many things.  My Family now is the greatest.  We love being together.  It is neat to see how each family member, (me, my lovely bride, and my five daughters) add to the essence of who we are.  The uniqueness of our individuality is exponentially multiplied within family.  God has so designed us to flourish within family. We enhance each other’s lives because of the influence and encouragement we can give to one another.

My daughter, Olivia, has the unique ability to write poetry.  This is the most recent poem that she has written.  What a blessing it has been to me. What encouragement to give Thanksgiving to God!

Bedtime Story

As I look across the vast prairie at the sun tucking itself into a blanket of clouds

And the Creator painting hues,

Telling an incredible bedtime story of love, forgiveness, and peace

To the birds, sun and trees,

I think about my day.

The joys, the pains, mistakes and heartaches,

The questions, the answers, the encounters and spoken words.

Anger, guilt, anxiety swell up inside of me

Leaving an empty place that LOVE can only fill. 

And as I gazed upon such a scene, I was brought to my knees.

I slowly began.

Struggling with each worry, fear and hurt

Bringing them to the foot of my Savior’s cross

To the throne of my Father and King

 Altar of my God.

Shedding my weights that condemned Him to that wretched tree

A blood offering of a perfect man in substitution of me

Being wiped clean from a God who sacrificed His own,

I felt the love flow freely,

The forgiveness, hope, joy, patience and peace

 Rain down and renew me and worries for tomorrow fade away.

And as the sun begins to rise

Newness and hope for the day is found along with the Master’s finger painting across the sky

And the song of His quiet, cool breath being heard.

                                                                                                                                ~based on Matthew 6: 25 - 34         

The two scriptures that I have given remind us that God cares for each of us.  He has a place for us in His family.  No matter where you end up, you can find a home in God’s Family.

When I was a teenager, I remember a wonderful Deacon by the name of Poncho Roberts.  Poncho was a jovial, fun loving man.  I always left with a smile when I was around him.  Poncho was known for his colorful vests that he wore to brighten up the holidays.  The most memorable thing about Poncho was a phrase that would accentuate the evening of an event or gathering of people.  “Togetherness! ONE MORE TIME!”, he would say.  It was family!  Though the gathering was made up of people from all walks of life, old and young, rich and poor, educated and uneducated, though unrelated, we were family.  God had put us together and made us His family.….our Blood Relation was by the “Blood of Jesus Christ” that was shed in order to reconcile us to God.  That was the way it was then and that is the way it can be now!  My prayer is that you will determine that FAMILY is just that necessary and important in your life as well.

Wait I say on the Lord

Pause-Reflect-Listen

"Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD."  This text in Psalms 27:14 is repeated encouragement to wait on the Lord. What does it mean to wait on the Lord? Why should one wait on the Lord? What are the fruits of waiting on the Lord?

To wait on the Lord is to stop all activity, quiet yourself, and focus your attention on Him.

One can see this definition by the context of the word wait. Consider John 5:3: "In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water." Imagine the painful, desperate, sickly crowd, longing for healing. They stare breathlessly down into the pool of Bethesda, scanning its smooth quiet surface, straining, focused, waiting for the angelic disturbance. It gives the idea of undistracted focus, total concentration, undivided attention, quiet enduring patience.

When one waits on the Lord one looks intently for communication from Him: "Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors." Proverbs 8:34. Position yourself in spirit so that you can hear God's communication to you. Sanctify yourself, get into His courts, turn from the din and clamor of the world, submerge in His holy presence, and then… wait.

Search for, look for, seek the face of God in spirit, "When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek" (Ps 27:8) It is in the face of God that one finds communication, direction: "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye." (Ps 32:8) God's communication is real, though it may be subtle. Only those focused on His face, seeking Him, waiting on Him, will find it.

As you wait on the Lord, as you seek Him, be mindful of the manner in which God will lead you. Do not expect God to have every little task written down for you, or even for Him to whisper to your heart by His Spirit. God's leading and direction takes many forms. God leads though His written Word, through wisdom, through godly counsel, through circumstance, and by direct communication from His Spirit.

As you wait on God, be mindful of the written Word of God, and of His spoken word revealed to you in time past: "I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope." (Ps 130:5) This will be your protection from the deceit of the enemy: "the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God." (Eph 6:17)

You are to test any revelation you receive from any source with the Word of God; God will never be inconsistent with His written Word. Whether it be counsel from a trusted authority (Acts 17:11), your own strong feelings in a matter (Pr 28:26), impessions from the spiritual realm (1 John 4:1), or direct revelation from God, never choose a course of action or a disposition that will violate any portion of God's written revelation to you, so far as you understand it. Peter even challenged God, three times in succession, based on his own incomplete understanding of divine law, until he was enlightened by the Spirit of God and understood. (Acts 10) It was appropriate for him to do so. You are to do the same.

Also, there are some things that you need not pray about. If God has already spoken in His written Word concerning your matter, you have your direction from Him and there can be no holy motivation for continued delay, even in prayer, once your direction is clear. For example, it is not necessary to wait on the Lord for direction to discern whether you should help a neighbor who is naked and starving (James 2:16), or whether you should flee from fornication (1 Cor 6:18) or from idolatry. (1 Cor 10:14)

In addition to the Word, there are many things that you must be about in the course of daily life which require wisdom. The fact that you are directed to request wisdom from God is evidence of this. "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." (James 1:5) You need wisdom because you are expected to discern between good and evil, between what is prudent and foolish, between what is appropriate and inappropriate. If God intended to tell us every little step we are to take, tell us every word we are to speak, precisely and explicitly, there would be no need for wisdom.